SUNRISE — All of a sudden, Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl found the puck on his stick in front of the net. He had only one hand on the stick, and was moving too fast to actually control the puck, but such details didn’t matter on a night anything could happen and practically everything did.
He shoved the puck a few feet toward the net.. It caromed off the skate of Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola. And when it slid into the net Draisaitl had the goal everyone wanted and the Florida Panthers saw Game 4 slip away, again, this time for good.
Just like that, everything was up for grabs again in the Stanley Cup Final.
Just like that, Edmonton showed why it’s here, and how it responds to trouble, and what kind of problem they are in rising from the mat twice Thursday night with a 5-4 win in overtime to even this series at two games apiece.
Four games. Three settled in overtime. Comebacks. Throwbacks. And plenty of thrown punches. There’s still three games potentially left, and the wonder is if this final can keep delivering drama like this.
If Edmonton goes on to win the Stanley Cup, the Panthers’ regret will be real and obvious. They had control of this night, and with it this series, with a 3-0 lead after the first period. That kind of lead wasn’t just backed up by history — only six teams had come back from a three-goal deficit in the Stanley Cup Final.
Even when Edmonton stormed back to take a 4-3 lead, the Panthers showed who they were and what they can do. Sam Reinhart tied the game with 19.5 seconds left in regulation to uncork Amerant Bank Arena and send everyone to overtime.
There, in overtime, Sam Bennett hit the crossbar with the kind of shot that would end the night for the Panthers if the magic had been right.
Instead, it was Draisaitl who ended it. It was Edmonton’s players who came over the boards to celebrate with him and backup goalie Calvin Pickard. It means the Panthers will have to go to Edmonton and win a game, either the fifth or seventh of the series, to take the Cup.
They’ll have to do what each team has plenty this series: Forget the previous game. Game 4 picked up where Game 3 left off, too. Edmonton took undisciplined penalties, the Panthers’ championship game was on display and it was 3-0 after two power-play goals by Matthew Tkachuk and another goal by Anton Lundell.
Edmonton changed goalies, earlier than in Game 3, with Pickard coming on and starter Stuart Skinner going to the bench after the first period. Everything was the Panthers’ way. They’d scored 12 of the last 14 goals in the series. They’d kept Edmonton’s top stars under control. They were closing in on being one win away from repeating as champs.
And the night changed on them.
Edmonton happened.
The Panthers were 31-0 over the last three playoffs when leading after the first or second period. Edmonton came back from two goals in Game 1 to make that record 31-1.
Now its 31-2.
How did this happen?
Maybe the Panthers sat back too much, same as they did in the Game 1 lead. Maybe the goalie switch to Pickard energized Edmonton. Maybe, too, these are the kind of wild swings and unexpected rallies that you expect in a championship series between two heavyweights.
Connor McDavid said after Edmonton went off the rails in Game 3, “I don’t think our best has shown up all series long, but it’s coming.
They had a Game 4. Edmonton forgot its previous night and evened the series. It now goes back to Edmonton as a best-of-three series that begins across the continent with one day’s rest before Saturday’s Game 5.
You’ve seen some good of each side, some parts they’d like back. But you’ve mostly seen the kind o dramatic hockey that defines series that go down in the books.
The Panthers appeared to be moving one win away another title in Thursday’s first period. Edmonton showed why they’re in this championship round by scoring four straight goals for the seeming win. Only the Panthers’ Reinhart tied it.
And then Draisaitl ended it.
Pack a bag. Get the passport. The first real break in the series is coming after Game 5 Saturday night in Edmonton. One team will be one win away from the Stanley Cup.